"A D A C A E," muttered Sunburst, drawing and sketching lines between them busily, his tongue working faster than his lips as he worked through the spell in his mind over and over again. He tapped the floating paper before flipping it over and starting to scrawl over it. "Gather, focus, temper, control..."

The spell he was working on was quite a step up from the others. It wasn't just adding a color, or a flavor. No single sense. "The penalty for failure..." was high, too high. Terrifyingly high. He was a pony on a tightrope with no pole and no net. To make it better, he wouldn't know the result of his success or failure until after the fact.

No, he was planning the trip and handing it off to someone else to walk, for someone else, him possibly, to feel the sting of failure. "Maybe I should..."

No. He had come that far, he wouldn't give up! He just had to remain calm and use his strength, logic. "It's all logical, little units that had to work together..."

Twilight patted the bright yellow basket that had been flipped upside down. Resting on it were a few trophies that were also colored in different bright hues. "This is the effect of magical harmonization. With it, different spellcasters can pool and combine their abilities into an effect greater than the sum of their parts."

She brought her forehooves together with a proud clop. "We gathered four spellcasters who knew the spell and this is the result." She waved a hoof at the room they were in, painted not one solid color but a repeating checkerboard from top to bottom of brightest white and deepest of blues. "As you can see, the more are involved, the more pronounced the magnification can be. I have a few theories on that."

"I'm... very proud. You must be excited," I noted, floating before the super excited looking Twilight. "But that isn't why I came here."

"I thought you came for a status report on the project?" Twilight canted her head as if she couldn't think of one other reason I'd be there. Suddenly, she gasped. "Did someone use magic inappropriately?!"

"No, thankfully." Ugh, I didn't need that mess on the rest. "I want to talk to you, about you, well, not just you. It doesn't involve magic, but..." Well, really, I was pretty sure she was actually really happy being a unicorn. She seemed a safe test. "Ponid, the cure, your thoughts?"

"Pfft." She threw a hoof at the air towards me. "As soon as they can fix the contagiousness, I'm leaving and keeping this horn, thank you." She pointed up at it. "The idea of going back to not having magic? Yuck, no thanks."

Well, really, I could appreciate that. The idea of losing my noodle powers was not a pleasant one... "So you don't care if you ever go back to being human?"

"Human is as human does," she countered, brow raised. "I am a member of this civilization, regardless of the number of hands I possess. I never stopped being human, being raised by them, in their culture, and not divesting myself of it nearly enough."

Alright, that was enough to push on. "Well, alright, not arguing that. We're both Americans, even if we have sweet fur pelts." I patted my front lightly. "I learned something, and I'm going to need you to keep it a secret, not because I want it secret, but because I'm working out exactly how to share it reasonably."

"And you're telling me?" She shook her head. "I thought you were, oh! I'm being silly. You already told Starlight this, I imagine, and--"

"No," I cut off. "Not a single other pony knows, yet. I plan to change that."

"And you came to me?" She inclined her head before righting herself and saluting as best she could with a hoof. "Well, go on then. I'll give my honest opinion if that's what you want."

"Thank you." She was a good pony, if a touch odd at times. "Ponid, there is no cure, and probably won't be for quite a long time. They aren't even looking right now."

Twilight blinked softly. "They're looking for a way to make us non-contagious though, right? I can easily imagine that reconfiguring our gross anatomy would be quite the scientific challenge. And I don't want that anyway." She waved it off. "Most ponies I know have grown quite pleased with their new selves anyway."

"I'm happy to hear that." That made my news less likely to result in mass riots, but... "But, really, it's a low priority, getting any of us out of here. Their #1 focus is on making the injection that put us here safe for use. They want to stop Ponid from being a new thing, but fixing the mess already made... Not quite as pressing." I was worrying my fingers as I bobbed in the air in casual hovering. "Sorry to be the bearer of awful news."

"You... didn't do this," reasoned Twilight. "You were one of us just a short while ago. These... policies have been handed to you. I can't, logically... say you did this..." She sank to her haunches heavily as if the weight of the world were pressing on her. "This is a lot to take in."

That was more of the reaction I expected. "I'm really sorry, and angry too. I want to be able to go. Shoot... I can already just not be infectious, but I'm still stuck here, how fair's that?"

Twilight blinked at me, looking puzzled. "How?"

Ah, right, noodle powers were still kinda new to everyone who wasn't me... "I can do things, which includes that. You've heard of some of the things I did."

"I've heard of some of it, indirectly." She rolled a hoof in the air. "Spontaneous magic, driven entirely by your will alone. I'd say I'm not jealous, but I'd be lying. You have all the power of all the unicorns here, without needing spells. It's... terrifying, really. You could destroy the world as we know it."

Part of me swelled with pride, while another cringed. She wasn't wrong... "That's why I try not to use it for big things. My morality only stretches so far, my ethics along with it, so I figure, keep it small. If it's bigger than what I'm personally dealing with, just don't. No fixing world hunger."

"You could do that?" She hiked a brow before it fell right back down. "No limits. Hm. My respect for you has raised." She put a hoof out a few inches off the ground. "You saw your limits and reacted accordingly. Many others would not. They would reach as far as they could, as soon as they could, only to regret it afterwards, if ever at all. To even consider ones ethical and moral limitations is... quite a rare mental trait. Starlight's praise of you makes more sense now."

"Your flattery will get you nowhere, except a cookie." With a snap, a big metal tin of cookies sprang into being beside her. "Those are unofficial. I'm officially barred from creating food for supply sake."

Twilight burst into laughter, sweet cute laughter. "Unofficial magic cookies? The best kind there is." Her horn glowed as she popped the top off and reached to snag one of the cookies in its paper tray, nibbling. "Mmm, just like one from the store. Your reproduction is spot on." The cookie vanished into her mouth. "Now, you told me for a reason."

"Yes. I just learned this, about the state of things. Everyone deserves to know the truth, but I don't want people freaking out either. Any suggestions?"

Twilight raised a hoof to her chin. "We could start with those with an affinity for magic. They are least likely to be upset at remaining as they are. After them, I'd go for those that are enjoying flight. Similarly, they have grown attached to something that is impossible to have in a human body, so they are unlikely to be that upset about that part of the news."

Ah ha! "Genius! I'm overthinking this." I clapped my hands and did a little twirl, which is so much easier when you're not touching the ground. "We'll break the announcements into two parts. First part being that they're staying ponies. Don't even bring up the other part, yet, that's for later."

Twilight rolled a hoof. "I'd couch it as 'they're working on it with no real timeline' rather than 'never', since it's not never... right?"

Ugh, corporate shadytalk, but perhaps the right course of action... "Let's start one thing at a time. You're basically in charge of magic, who's your #1 student?"

"Well, we have a #1 for research, and a #1 for practical." She tilted her head left and right with thought. "I'd say go for practical, as she actually uses magic. In theory, research could have been done as a human."

Wait. Starlight had... "Do you mean Sunburst?"

"You've heard of him?" Twilight smiled brightly. "Yes, he's #1 for research, able to make new spells. Quite remarkable, really, but he has no magical aptitude for casting."

"And who's #1 for practical?"

"Autumn Blaze," reported Twilight with a little nod. "A bit excitable, but she's calmed down. I think she'd be a fine first pony, besides myself, obviously."

She wasn't, technically, a pony. The point still stood. "Isn't she involved?"

"Involved? Of course, that's why--oh!" She began to blush. "You mean, yes, she is in a romantic relationship with Sunburst."

"So telling her without telling him would be a bit mean. Let's tell them both, together. Send them both to my office, please. I'll let security know." And I vanished.

Silver Spoon trotted into the office, her new skirt bouncing with her steps. Her bottom was concealed with a set of frilled briefs that kept eyes off anything untoward. She bounced up onto the chair, sitting facing the doctor with a big smile. "Good afternoon, Paul," she greeted, adjusting her glasses.

"Good afternoon, Silver," he welcomed in turn. "You seem in good spirits today. Want to share?"

"Yes!" she burst, clopping her hooves together. "You were so, like, right on point. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was fun, but it wasn't the point." She waggled a hoof at him. "I need to find the right pony, or, you know, human." She tilted her head. "But a human would go pony, shoot, that's not the idea... Anyway! Like, so I need to sell people."

"Isn't that what you were doing before?" Paul gently pried, watching his eager patient.

"Well, yeah, but I was selling the wrong thing!" She threw her hooves wide to either side. "I put up big signs that said 'Hey, come check out this fun ride!' When I shoulda been, like, 'here's someone interesting to know.'"

Paul allowed a little smile. "That's quite the realization."

"You're telling me?" She curled a hoof back at herself. "I was being a total, like, slut, inside and out... Anypony that was attracted to that is not the pony I should be with. Enough of that!" She clopped a hoof down firmly. "Like, not that I can't have some fun, with friends... but that isn't who I am, isn't what I should be, you know?"

"How do you feel?"

"I..." She trailed off, frowning a little and poking at her glasses. "I feel a little weird, but good weird?" She gestured over herself. "How do I look?"

"I admit, it's new, to me. You're wearing a fine bottom, but no top."

"Duh," she half-sang at him. "What have I got up here that needs hiding? I'm a horse." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Ain't a thing up here. This is where ponies should be looking." She pointed at her big glasses. "Right here, got a nice big target and everything."

The session went on, but Paul had a good feeling his patient was progressing nicely.

"So." Autumn bounced a little in place. They were in a waiting room together, a bored secretary typing busile. Sunburst was next to Autumn. "She's the boss?"

"Director, actually." Sunburst adjusted his glasses. "There are ponies in charge of her, so she's not the boss boss?"

"That still sounds like our boss, even if she has a boss," countered Autumn, worrying her cloven hooves together. "I heard she has all kinds of crazy magic too!"

"Well, yes, but she's, uh, beside the first incident, been quite reserved in its use."

"She had an incident," noted Autumn, brows falling. "Do you have an 'incident'?"

"Well, no, but you have."

"I did not!"

"You set me on fire, uh, twice." Sunburst smirked a iittle. "Not mad, but it did happen."

"That was an accident!" She was blushing more like being reminded an embarassing thing rather than being any actual danger to Sunburst. "I just hope she's nice and not mad. When your boss calls you in, it's almost never good news."

"She's pretty nice, I hear."

"She'll see you now," announced the secretary, nodding towards the closed door.

"Thank you." Sunburst started forward. "Let's go meet her."

"You haven't even met her yet?" Autumn trotted with him, their magics both grabbing for the door and pulling it open with a little wobble of their wills tussling. "How do you know..." She trailed off, spotting Eri sitting on her chair, but she was not sitting exactly.

Sure, she was in a seated position, but the chair was several inches beneath her. She was actually floating there casually, typing on an equally hovering keyboard, her monitor behind that, caught up in the urge to defy gravity for fun.

She was also not a pony, or a griffon, or a kirin. She was nothing Autumn had ever seen before, and that apparently piqued her interest. Her magic slapped the door shut as she took a step forward. "Hey! Uh, nice to... meet." Suddenly she exploded in heat, black-blue flames engulfing her with tinges of white. "Raw! I'm messing it up!"

Sunburst raised a hoof adorned with a cooking glove. Where had he hid that? He patted her gently on the head. "It's alright. I don't think she's upset."

"I'm not," I assured, lowering with my things. They landed on the desk as I touched the floor. "I'm glad--" Suddenly there was an Autumn right up on me. She was looking me over, the last bits of her flame being patted out by Sunburst even as she snuffled and poked. "Um, everything alright?"

"What are you?" she asked with naked curiosity, reaching my tail and reaching both hooves to feel at its base. The urge to swat her was quite strong, that's a private place! But she gave off such little malice, more like an excitable little kid. "Hey, we're both clovies." She slapped her cloven hoof against mine with the biggest happiest smile.

It was hard to be angry with her. "We are," I agreed instead, lifting my hoof so she could see it more easily. "Now, I brought you here because there's something they've been fibbing about, and I don't want more fibbing on my watch. Our relationship has to have trust in it."

She let go of my hoof, crashing to her haunches. "Uh-oh. You wouldn't say that unless it was something really big." She threw her hooves out wide. "Are we gonna melt into puddles?"

Sunburst hiked a brow. "I doubt this is the case."

"It could be!"

"It isn't," I cut in before they could get into arguing it. "I'll get right to the point. What turned you into a pony, and you into a kirin--"

"And you into a, uh, whatever that is." She was pointing at me.

"Yes, that. Medical technology isn't even close to reproducing that, meaning this is it, we're this, forever." I waved over my form, then towards the forms of both of my guests. "We are what we are. There will be no more promises of future fixes on that."

Sunburst rubbed behind his head softly. "Oh, uh... I... kinda assumed that."

"Me too," chimed Autumn. "I mean, not entirely, but I was guessing. If they were close, there'd be news about it already." She burst into sudden giggles. "Can you imagine? Being able to get rid of extra parts, or put extra ones on? It'd be all over!"

That was not the reaction I was expecting. "I want to give everypony a chance to hear it from me directly, so if you could not share it just yet?"

Autumn's horn glowed as she drew a zipper over her lips with a big fancy lock. It wasn't an illusionary zipper. She literally drew it quickly with her magic, markings on her fur. Sunburst just nodded. "Of course, um, thanks, for telling us. Are we in the middle?"

"One of the first," I admitted. "But there'll be more." Maybe even that day, from the way they took it. Maybe that part was just the truth people knew, but hadn't come out and said just yet. "To be clear, this changes nothing. I'm still here, and I will protect you all as best I can."

Autumn clopped her hooves and undulated in place like a smitten woman. "My hero! It's good having an all-powerful magic girl watching over me." She snorted a giggle. "Better than the usual. You seem kinda nice."

"I try to be," I allowed with a little smile, relieved she was taking it well. I set my eyes on Sunburst. "You alright with this?"

"Oh, yes." He bobbed his head. "Starlight, you know, talks about you... She's very fond." He rubbed behind his head. "Hard to think anypony she latches onto like that could be a bad sort... Besides, you saw something wrong and you did the right thing, you told us. Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks." Autumn slapped Sunburst's back, eyes on me. "How far along are they on the 'don't turn people into ponies by being close to them' thing? I wanna gallop out into the world and sing!"

Dang it, so much for just not bringing that up. "No estimate on that." That was the truth, even if not the whole truth. "Their priority is on something else right this second." Also the truth... also not the whole story. I hated it.

Sunburst and Autumn both sagged a little at the news. Sunburst pointed at me. "You're not a scientist, right?"

"Oh, wow, no." I was so unqualified for that title.

"Do you, uh, set the budgets?" he pressed, adjusting his glasses.

"A little?" I held up two fingers close. "I can prioritize floors in the facility and slide the money around them. I can move for people to get fired or hired, but not actually do it, that's HR. My job is to keep this place running smoothly, to keep you all safe and secure, both in terms of making sure none of you wander out and cause a new pandemic and making sure nobody comes in here and freaks right out on seeing all of you."

"A two way thing..." Sunburst worried his hooves together. "A gate to keep us in, and them out." He sighed gently. "You can't do much about it, from the sound of it... I'm not mad, uh, at you."

"Still sucks," grunted Autumn with a frown. "How are we going to get those yellow fences?!"

Yellow fences? "Thank you, both of you, for understanding. If I... could, without godmoding, I'd fix that."

Autumn was on me, rearing up to get her snout to mine, touching noses. "You have a godmode?! How's it work? Is it tiring? Tell us more!"

"IDDQD," chuckled out Sunburst. "Um, probably not like that though, uh, Autumn, she's still the director."

"Yeah, she is." Autumn was still on me, hugging and wagging her tail quite excitedly. "Tell us more please," she tried a touch more politely.

I had to laugh even as I pushed her back. It's for the best ponies have breasts in not the usual place, allowing me to push without worry. "If I do too much, especially all at once, it can get very tiring. It's not a literal godmode like a video game, I can still be hurt." I could remember the injuries I got the last time push came to shove. "I'm not immortal, just... functionally omnipotent?" That sounded just as weird to me as anyone else.

Sunburst inclined his head. "If you can do anything, can't you just make yourself impossible to hurt?"

"And be as strong as you want," sang out Autumn. "Tall as you want, beefy as you want." Her brows began to waggle. "As sexy as you want."

Sunburst tackled her even as she laughed, the two collapsing into a pile of wrestling hooves.

They had forgotten their tension, and that was fine by me. "I'm glad you two came in today. You're both in contact with Starlight, right? Tell her if you need anything, she can bend my ear pretty easily."

"She can bend other things," joked Autumn even as Sunburst struggled to contain her, much to no avail, her laughter filling the room.

With a sharp snap, they were suddenly outside, in front of the secretary. The door was closed. They had been dismissed.

Autumn sat up. "Aw... I wanted to ask her more questions."

"Like what?" Sunburst offered a hoof, helping Autumn up.

"Well, she has, basically, all magic ever. I bet she could really kickstart our work there."

"Maybe." Sunburst tilted his head. "But you don't need her, you have me."

"True." She leaned in, touching noses with him. "And you're way more fun to hug, not even a competition."

The two trotted off, content with things for the time being, even if their idyllic home was put on pause for the foreseeable future.

They wern't the last ponies I saw that day. They didn't all take it as well. "I have rights!" shrieked Bon Bon as she strode firmly from the room. "You did this, the least you can do is release me from this prison! I'll be calling my lawyer!" No, she wouldn't. I felt sure on that, but that sureness didn't make me feel less awful for how upset she clearly was.

"I'm going to be here, forever," miserably muttered one pony, sinking in place. "Just my luck..." The oversized stallion, as big as an actual horse, left without any angry words, but he looked so sad.

"I get to stay here?" Scootaloo inclined her head. "Cool."

"You're alright with that?" I asked, studying the filly, the true filly.

"Why wouldn't I be? I have good friends, I get to do school one on one instead of a big class of screaming people. I get to do what I want!" She threw her hooves wide. "Becoming a pony's pretty cool, uh, minus the wings that don't quite work, but they work good enough."

She hiked a brow. "Having teachers that wear big plastic suits is kinda odd. I like to think I'm a radioactive monster, rawr!" She threw up her hooves in a faux attacking way, giggling. "But they're nice. They say I'm learning really well too. Oh! Hey, even Silver's getting less strange. She plays more games and spends less time trying to hang out with the adults. She's fun now. Good job, uh, whatever you did."

She trotted out, a happy filly.

"I'm stuck here?" Silver inclined her head. "Am I even infectious? You made me, not Ponid, so... am I? I mean, like if I aren't, why am I stuck here?"

Oh damn... "Either we're all stuck, me included, or we all aren't. Letting some people go would make a riot, you know that."

Thankfully, she was still a security guard. I could see those wheels turning. "Shit," she said in a very un-filly like way. "You're not wrong, and I hate it. Hey, thanks, for being even with me." She hopped to the ground. "I respect that... I know I asked kinda... awkwardly before, but the offer's still... you know, open? Wouldn't mind a mother that watches out for me..."

Author's Note

Heavy questions are faced, with mixed results, leaning towards the good? What would your reaction be?

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